I am a fire fighter, so i work 1 day on 2 days off and was looking for a big dog to fill my space in the bed on the nights that i am working and also help my wife feel safe. I grew up with boxers but I think Great Danes are the sexiest looking dogs and I heard they are real sweet...any advices?

I have had bad experiences with these animals, which were owned by wannabe gangsters.

Living in the city, I hear of so many incidents with these animals and have seen them up front..

Like I said, I have nothing against responsible owners. You didn't catch that part and had a meltdown.. Not a surprise considering these animals are most commonly associated with idiots.

I've had bad experiences with camel fuckers, does that mean I get to eterminate you besides that's what you get for hanging out with wannabe gangsters.

I've been around pits for 12+ years and never once have I had one of them even growl at me, aggressively. These animals are only associated with idiots by the media and morons like you that believe the media.

I've had bad experiences with camel fuckers, does that mean I get to eterminate you besides that's what you get for hanging out with wannabe gangsters.

I've been around pits for 12+ years and never once have I had one of them even growl at me, aggressively. These animals are only associated with idiots by the media and morons like you that believe the media.

Dude I said I don't mind responsible owners.. I go out to Long Island to fish and I don't see anything bad there.

I'm saying, since this breed is popular because wannabe gangsters love them, they've developed a bad rep. That's my point.

Another racist meltdown.. lol Anyways, my demographic has the highest rates of education, per household income and the lowest rates of crime. Guess my point struck a nerve with you, a lower common denominator of society. Hence at you getting so riled up and defensive at my point.

Dude I said I don't mind responsible owners.. I go out to Long Island to fish and I don't see anything bad there.

I'm saying, since this breed is popular because wannabe gangsters love them, they've developed a bad rep. That's my point.

Another racist meltdown.. lol Anyways, my demographic has the highest rates of education, per household income and the lowest rates of crime. Guess my point struck a nerve with you, a lower common denominator of society. Hence at you getting so riled up and defensive at my point.

my point is you are blaming a breed of dog because of it's association with wannabes, I just translated that into people, how is it any different?I would trust my pitbull with my life before I ever trusted one of you darkies.That was a racist meltdown, keep up, Mohammed.

By the way, what the hell does fishing in Long Island have to do with your ignorance of a breed of dog?

Great Danes are great dogs, and usually very sweet tempered. Big couch potatos!

I would recommend checking local rescues and seeing if their is a Dane rescue nearby. Go check out the breed in person.

You mentioned in your other post letting the dog in your bed I believe? That is up to you, I personally do not let them sleep in my bed ('cept for my Chi sometimes) because once you allow the dog in your bed, you better accept that he will be in your bed! That is true for any breed of dog, so think carefully about house rules. Same thing for furniture, I do allow mine on the furniture, but it is very hard to break a dog of that if you decide in the future they now are not allowed on the new couch or on the new bed comforter. And a dane can take up a good amount of the couch!

If you want a puppy remember big puppies, bigger stuff they chew up. They also are great at counter surfing, tales are a good height to knock things of end tables, so dog proofing a house entails a bit more than with average size dogs.

Bigger dog, bigger food bill. I feed all my dogs a raw diet and have a freezer just for them.

Lifespan is shorter for any of the giant breeds. That is the downfall to the gentle giants. I am striving for a longer quantity of life as well as quality of life by natural rearing all my dogs.

Danes are short coated dogs, so they are not outside dogs, so they can't be left outside in the snow. They do need to be walked and exercised, but a huge back yard is not a requirement as long as they do get regular walks.

Big paws can leave big paw marks, something to consider if you have light furniture or rugs.

Depending on their "lippage" they can be minimal drooly or big time droolers. My female is not as lippy as my male and never drools. Emmett my male on the other hand, you do not want to get within range after he drinks water or shakes his head on a walk!! I have to clean my ceiling from drool slingers!!

Something else to consider with any dog, but may be more problematic with giant breeds, is what to do if you go on vacation? Will someone be willing to watch a giant dog for you? Cost to board, etc.

Great Danes are great dogs, and usually very sweet tempered. Big couch potatos!

I would recommend checking local rescues and seeing if their is a Dane rescue nearby. Go check out the breed in person.

You mentioned in your other post letting the dog in your bed I believe? That is up to you, I personally do not let them sleep in my bed ('cept for my Chi sometimes) because once you allow the dog in your bed, you better accept that he will be in your bed! That is true for any breed of dog, so think carefully about house rules. Same thing for furniture, I do allow mine on the furniture, but it is very hard to break a dog of that if you decide in the future they now are not allowed on the new couch or on the new bed comforter. And a dane can take up a good amount of the couch!

If you want a puppy remember big puppies, bigger stuff they chew up. They also are great at counter surfing, tales are a good height to knock things of end tables, so dog proofing a house entails a bit more than with average size dogs.

Bigger dog, bigger food bill. I feed all my dogs a raw diet and have a freezer just for them.

Lifespan is shorter for any of the giant breeds. That is the downfall to the gentle giants. I am striving for a longer quantity of life as well as quality of life by natural rearing all my dogs.

Danes are short coated dogs, so they are not outside dogs, so they can't be left outside in the snow. They do need to be walked and exercised, but a huge back yard is not a requirement as long as they do get regular walks.

Big paws can leave big paw marks, something to consider if you have light furniture or rugs.

Depending on their "lippage" they can be minimal drooly or big time droolers. My female is not as lippy as my male and never drools. Emmett my male on the other hand, you do not want to get within range after he drinks water or shakes his head on a walk!! I have to clean my ceiling from drool slingers!!

Something else to consider with any dog, but may be more problematic with giant breeds, is what to do if you go on vacation? Will someone be willing to watch a giant dog for you? Cost to board, etc.

I'm just tossing stuff out here, feel free to ask specific questions.

I have been a Dane lover for years and years. We have had several of them in our family and even more in the extended family.

I agree, they are wonderful dogs...I would never go with any other breed. They are gentle giants for sure, and for the most part very well-tempered and very good with kids. I have only seen one dane in my life that was aggressive with other people, and I am not sure what caused it, but it is definitely the exception rather than the norm with these dogs. They are MAJOR couch potatoes!!

All of the things that flower said are important to consider when deciding on whether to get a great dane. Their size makes them a little more "high maintenance" than most dogs. It's almost like having a child LOL.

Everything costs about double because you are dealing with double the dog. Food, medicine, all of it...so be prepared. My dane needed an x-ray once to see what was going on with his digestive system, and it actually took TWO x-rays to cover the entire area.

They can reach countertops and table tops and have been known to clean food right off of them if you are not careful! One of our danes took an entire pork loin off the kitchen counter and ate it before Christmas dinner one year...

They are totally worth it IMO, even though they are expensive and short-lived. They are sweet, loving, fun, and entertaining dogs to have, and I would never consider any other kind of dog.

I forgot about the X-rays! Yup, usually one is not going to cut it, and the cost is more because you need the "large" x-rays.

Did you let yours sleep in the bed Rip? As much as I let my guys "run the house" I drew the line at that. I do know people with multiple dane houses too and they do let them in the bed. My bedroom is upstairs which is another reason I don't allow them up there, Emmett with his knee and size has a hard time getting down the stairs so it is better that he does not have access to them.

What about zoomies? There is nothing funnier than a dane with the zoomies!

Most are great with kids, but because of their size they don't always realize they are so big, so can knock a kid over. And I have read reasons that people have gotten rid of their dane was because "the tail hurt the kids when they wagged it". I have only gotten "whacked" a few times by a tail, but it can hurt!!!

I forgot about the X-rays! Yup, usually one is not going to cut it, and the cost is more because you need the "large" x-rays.

Did you let yours sleep in the bed Rip? As much as I let my guys "run the house" I drew the line at that. I do know people with multiple dane houses too and they do let them in the bed. My bedroom is upstairs which is another reason I don't allow them up there, Emmett with his knee and size has a hard time getting down the stairs so it is better that he does not have access to them.

What about zoomies? There is nothing funnier than a dane with the zoomies!

Most are great with kids, but because of their size they don't always realize they are so big, so can knock a kid over. And I have read reasons that people have gotten rid of their dane was because "the tail hurt the kids when they wagged it". I have only gotten "whacked" a few times by a tail, but it can hurt!!!

Holy cow, the tail can become a dangerous weapon sometimes! Our last dane was incredibly agile...his tail never knocked anything over. It was amazing, it was like he could sense when he was close to a vase or something on a table with that chair, and he never knocked things over. But damn that thing can hurt when it whips around!

We did actually let our last one sleep in the bed with us LOL. We have a king size bed and even at 180 pounds, he managed to find himself a space on it. It's amazing how strong they can be even in their sleep, when you try to kick them off the bed....and how they can manage to bundle themselves up so tightly to hold on to just the smallest corner of the bed. It's also quite funny when they are in bed with you and start having a dream that clearly involves chasing something...they start running in place and sometimes barking too!

Zoomies!! When they start running around like maniacs, like bats out of hell all goofy. You can almost see them laughing as they do it! All dogs can get the zoomies, but big danes running around are pretty funny.

If I ask Emmett if he is a silly boy outside he will usually get the zoomies. They are great to do in the snow too!

I don't even bother with end tables and knick knacks at dane level. I figure they will either get knocked over or chewed up. They have already broken 2 windows. I think one someone over shot the back of the couch as a springboard, and the other I think a rope toy got whacked into it.